tajmal
by soniesh
Summary: tajmal
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Sitting in his seat with chin resting in his folded arms, Talal sighed. He couldn't wait for the day to be over. It was a Friday, in his sixth period (which included his sixty year old, angry italian, weeaboo teacher, Mr. Dimauro) with crisp weather biting at his toes even into the afternoon.

He sighed again, his pupils sliding over towards the maroon door's window as he investigated the gloomy cold air outside. His eyes caught a tall brown boy walking suddenly as his guts pirouetted inside his tummy―was that _A_ _jmal?_ His lungs gasped suddenly, as the boy turned around only to reveal that it was not his old best friend. Talal scoffed, shaking his head slightly. Ajmal poser.

Casting his brown irises downward, he fiddled with his pencil as Dimauro droned about the lab sheet and how students have become regressive. How had he let this happen? He remembers the days where he'd wake up every morning, excitement vibrating through his veins at the thought of playing basketball with Ajmal and the others. How had they grown so far apart? They were so close to one another... he thought they had something... _different?_ Talal shook his head. No, Ajmal would never consider that. Especially when Bella had always been in between them.

Talal twisted his fingers around his pencil. _Bella._ Ugh, if only she had left them alone, then maybe, just _maybe_ him and-

"TALAL!"

He gasped suddenly, his head snapping towards Dimauro, "...yes?"

"OH MY _GOD!_ Were you listening to a _word_ I said? I swear to god, if you say no, I will WHACK you across the head!"

Talal snickered slightly, but mostly tried to control his laughter as her stared into Dimauro's soul-devouring eyeballs.

"Say, 'Yes, Mr. Dimauro.'"

"Yes, Mr. Dimauro," Talal repeated.

"Good boy," Dimauro paused, glancing at Giarmo as he strutted across the door (presumably to go to the bathroom), "Giarmo!"

The blonde paused, turning his head towards Dimauro with a headphone stuffed into his left ear, "Yes?"

"Remember that we..." Dimauro paused, Talal examining the hard eye contact between the two.

Giarmo gasped softly suddenly, his green eyes widening with a slight nod towards Dimauro's direction, "Oh, yes, okay. Yeah, I'll be there."

Talal frowned. Be _where_? He didn't have time to process the intense conversation he had witnessed because soon Dimauro was screaming at everyone to hurry and do their lab. Talal rolled his eyes, grabbing his lab sheet and pencil, then headed towards the black lab table at the right of the classroom. He contemplated if he should join a group, but quickly nixed the idea―he could work more efficiently _and_ accurately if he worked alone, that's just how _good_ he was in Physics. Or any science for that matter.

Perhaps if Aaron (Chloe) had been in his class, he would work with a partner, but for now, as he finished setting up the lab, he would have to work alone.

Talal screamed, as an abrupt force trembled him towards the ground. His forehead pulsed heatedly as it hit the edge of the lab table. His fingers tapped it lightly, raw wine blood cloaking them in streams. What's happening?

"Get under the goddamn table, everyone! It's an earthquake!" Dimauro screamed.

Talal crawled under the nearest table, covering his head and squeezing his eyelids shut. His ears rang loudly at the crumbling chaos surrounding him―it felt as if he was in a crashing vehicle, only it was louder, more amplified.

He heard a scream somewhere―that was a scream, right? He wasn't able to tell, everything felt as if it were screaming all around him. He jumped abruptly as something crashed on the desk above him, followed by the lights fluttering on and off.

He didn't know how long this went on, it could've been a couple of minutes to long sets of hours, but when he felt the ground had finally stopped shaking it almost felt like a dream. It was surreal.

Talal's legs wobbled as he stood up. The sides of his thighs and knees ached from sitting cross-legged for so long. He struggled to walk and his arms were bleeding with scratches tearing through his long-sleeved shirt. At the thought of blood, his fingers darted towards his injured forehead where it stanched the half-dried injury.

"Hello?" His voice was hard against his throat, it was rough and quiet.

"Hello?!" He tried again. Talal jumped when he heard a small groan at his right. He dashed towards it, his pupils running for the source of the noise. He gasped, seeing Dimauro laying under a broken desk, red ink surrounding him, "Holy shit, are you okay?"

Dimauro laughed, making Talal scream internally because he was currently _dying_ , and then weakly said, "Oh my _god_. Of course I'm not okay, you regressive bitch."

Talal would've kicked Dimauro in the face, but had to stop himself because, again, Dimauro was dying. Instead, he hurriedly grabbed the broken desk and attempted to pull it off Dimauro.

"AHHHHH," Dimauro screamed in pain, "STOP THAT HURTS ME, YOU BASTARD!"

"Wha-" Talal stopped, peeking under the desk to see the desk's leg was shoved _through Dimauro's body_ , "OH MY GOD! I-it's like- _sh-shoved_ into your body... Oh, god, there's a _hole_ i-in your _body."_

"Yeah, I'm like spongebob," Dimauro chuckled/coughed up mucus and blood. He groaned, "Ugh, I'm going to die... I need you to do me a favor."

Talal's ears perked up, "A favor?"

"Yes. I-" He coughed again, "I want you to find Giarmo... He has to be around here somewhere... and when..."

Talal blinked his lashes, "Dimauro?! A-are you... are you okay?"

He coughed suddenly, "Sorry, I don't feel that great... ugh... oh, when you find Giarmo... I want you to tell him..."

"...Tell him?"

Dimauro sighed, closing his eyelids for a bit, "I want you to... I want you to say that... Linkin Park wasn't that... bad... and th-that I... I..."

Talal sat up, staring at Dimauro's ugly face, "D-Dimauro? Hey... h-hey this isn't funny. Wake up... Dimauro, wake up," He shook his shoulders, "Di-Dimauro?"

He sighed, "You're dead, aren't you?"

No answer.

Talal got up, his legs and arms still aching, and lightly kicked Dimauro's head, "You deserved that for making us redo the lab."

His eyes searched around him, seeing a picture of Jeffree and Dimauro's other fake cat. Talal grabbed it from the wall and covered Dimauro's face with it, "You were an okay teacher... not really, you sorta sucked but you were a good person... actually, nevermind, you aren't- I mean weren't. You were funny though."

After Talal gave Dimauro a moment of silence, he got up and began his search for Giarmo. He headed out of the ruined classroom (after much trouble with opening the door due to the wreckage) and glanced around himself.

It was a _mess._ The trees had twisted off and down the walkway, the pillars had crumpled down onto the concrete. He choked as he eyed a girl lying on the floor, a dirty bloody gash spreading from the small of her back to the tip of her shoulder.

"T-Talal?!"

"SHIT!" He yelled, whipping around. His eyes grew wide, his ears burning as his stomach churned. He could feel heat spread across his stomach to his limbs towards the tips of his fingers and toes.

"A-Ajmal?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2221:

"W-what are you doing here?"

Talal's walnut eyes were wide and struck with astonishment. Ajmal shifted his weight onto his right leg as he crossed his arms in front of him. He couldn't help but stare back into his dark pupils, enclaved by dark cocoa eyes and fluttering light eyelashes.

Ajmal's dark eyes wandered around his face, noticing a subtle plum bruise on the edge of his chin and bloody gash belting into his forehead.

"You're hurt." His voice felt raw against his throat, it was hard for him to talk. It was as if his words had to be shoved through his teeth.

"Oh," Talal looked briefly behind the other boys head, "Yeah."

"You should get that patched up."

Talal opened his mouth slightly, blinking his lashes. Ajmal focused his attention to the destroyed pillar behind Talal.

 _We. We_ should get that fixed. He should've said that instead. He really should've. He could see the… Talal's eyes were… sad and… but… he just couldn't. There hasn't been a 'we' since...well… Bella? Just that sentence proved enough for the both  
of them, that there was no 'we', whatever they had before was over, gone.

"Yeah," a light sigh passed through Talal's lips, "I should."

"Yeah," he nodded, "Um… where are you heading?"

"Oh!" Ajmal jumped at Talal's exclamation, "I'm actually looking for someone."

"Who?"

"Well," Talal glanced behind him, "I don't know if you know him―" _Him?!_ "―But his name's Guillermo… He's blonde, sorta slim build and is always listening to this band… like Link Parkour?"

Oh, shit. "You mean Linkin Park?"

"Oh! yeah I think it was that."

"Oh, great," Ajmal hushed under his breath.

What is Talal doing hanging out with a weenie like him? He tells girls he's liked them since middle school for _fuck's_ sake. He shouldn't be hanging out with someone so… _lame._ He should be hanging out with people who understood him, someone  
funner and _cooler_. Someone like… him?

"So, does that mean you know him?"

"Oh," he jumped slightly, a burning pink spreading across his cheeks when he realized he had been staring at Talal for much too long. He's never been caught staring, although he did do it more frequently than he should. "Um, yeah. I know who you're talking  
about."

"Oh, okay."

Talal stared at him expectantly.

Wait.

What was he expecting?

He wasn't sure. But he noticed that everytime Talal blinked he could see his lashes sweeping up and down, and―although his forehead was caked with stanched blood, and the plum bruise on his chin was getting darker and darker―he still looked pretty… okay.

He's a liar.

He looked better than okay.

Which was surprising, given his state.

His eyes were the color of small potatoes and his lips were a sanguine pink against his tan skin. His lips… particularly… were definitely appealing. They arched in a v-shape naturally, his bottom lips plump as he pressed it together with his top lip.  
If he was just took a couple of steps closer...just a couple… he would be able to feel them pressed flush against his… oh, how he wondered the feeling. He felt his body getting hot already, his stomach was stirring and his―

"So?"

"AH," He paused," Um, I mean, ah...um, yeah."

"What?"

Shit.

"Uh," Ajmal looked around him, searching, but coming up dry for a different topic to talk about. "What?"

Talal give him an odd look, "Oh..kay? So? Have you seen him?"

What? "Who?"

"Guiller―"

"―OH!" Ajmal exclaimed as he finally recalled what they had been talking about, "Oh, no, I haven't. Sorry."

"Oh," Talal drooped his head slightly, "alright."

"Why?"

"Why what?" He paused, "Oh. Um, I just need to tell him something… important."

Something important? Like what? Ajmal opened his mouth, but stopped himself. He can't show _too_ much interest… can he? Afterall, they didn't have anything anymore. It wasn't any of Ajmal's business anyways. Right?

Oh, well.

"Like what?"

Talal's brown eyes blinked up at him, "Um, just stuff, okay? Anyways, you never told me where you were heading."

Oh, right.

Ajmal didn't really have a particular place he was heading, really. After the entire creepy earthquake happened in his health class, he left in search for any remaining survivors (not really, he was only concerned for a couple of people). Despite a couple  
of people surviving in that class (some weeaboo girl named Ashly and another girl), he really didn't want to be bothered by anime conversations, so he left. And now he was here. With Talal.

He shrugged, "Dunno. You didn't really tell me why you were looking for Guillermo."

"Oh, woooow," Talal shook his head at him, "Whatever."

Ajmal snickered, "How 'bout you?"

"Just...wherever? Wherever Guillermo would think to go, I guess."

"Hm." Ajmal nodded, crossing his arms over his chest, "Probably to Pineaux."

"Pine- _what?"_

"Pineaux." he stared at Talal, searching his face to gouge out any sign of recognition, "He's a history teacher?"

"Oh," Talal looked to the side, "Um, yeah."

"You don't know who Pineaux is?"

"No, I don't know who Pine Ho is."

Ajmal sighed, "Alright, whatever. I guess I'll have to take you to him."

He wasn't actually mad about taking Talal to Pineaux. He was actually… a little glad. Maybe, just _maybe_ he can… create at least a somewhat remotely comfortable atmosphere around them. And from there… maybe… they can do… _other_ things.

"Are you going to show me where Pineaux's class is, or?"

"Oh, right. Follow me."

PAGE BREAK huewifdnhwodsw

"It's not opening."

Ajmal rolled his eyes, "Then try harder."

He should be helping Talal open the door. He really should, it was closed tight, actually he wasn't even sure if anyone was in there. But he just couldn't. He liked staring at Talal's slender arms flexing as he tried to pry the door open.

It was sorta… reminding him of times in the locker room before they indulged in their frisky basketball games and Talal would take his shirt off, and for a second, as Talal's shirt hid his eyes briefly, he would take a glance and memorise the crevices  
of his premature six pack and the color of his warm brown nipples. And then Talal's cute head would pop out as Ajmal rolled his knee high socks up and he'd continue to badger him as to why he was even wearing them.

Ajmal sighed as he stared at Talal's fingers struggle to have a firm grip on the door handle, "Here, let me try."

He pushed Talal to the side, prepared to show him how it should be done. After holding the door firmly, he pulled and―

Nothing.

Wait, what?

He tried again.

No, the door was definitely stuck.

He placed his leg against the wall, and pull.

And yet, _nothing_ happened.

"What the fuc―" Ajmal pulled harder, "Why the fuck isn't this―WOAH!"

He groaned, rolling around the floor as the burning blood soaked the shoulder of his shirt, "Ugh…"

"Oh my GOD! ARE YOU OKAY?!"

He winced at the screeching voice, peeking up to see a bug like male staring at him.

"Ugh...I think I hurt my shoulder a bit."

"OH NO!" Pineaux continued to scream for a couple of seconds, "AHH! Come in! HURRY!"

"Oh, I…" Ajmal didn't have time to tell him they were only looking for someone as Pineaux hurriedly pushed him and Talal inside and closed the door.

"OH MY GOD!" Pineaux exclaim as he stared at Talal's face. "What happened to your FACE?!"

"Um," Talal glanced at Ajmal, who was clutching his hurt shoulder, then back warily at Pineaux, "I, um, got hurt. I hurt it."

"Oh," Pineaux's face (from what Ajmal could see of his face) suddenly fell into a...sympathetic (?) expression. "Well, I know times are really tough right now. But, remember when things are really low, there's only one way to go. And that's up."

What?

Talal seemed to share Ajmal's confusion, staring past Pineaux, at Ajmal with his eyebrows pinching together. "Uh, thank you?"

Pineaux nodded, "Sure thing! Actually," he paused, thinking for a bit, "Well, I think I know someone who can relate to you. Hold on, right here. I'm going to go get the first aid kit and I'll let her know you're here, since she's using the microwave right  
now."

Um, what?

"Oh...alright?"

"GREAT!" Pineaux smiled widely, turning and moving his head side to side as he animately walked into the pod area.

Ajmal breathed suddenly, closing his eyes as his fingers gagged his shoulder wound.

"So," he looked up at Talal, who took a seat in front of him, "That's Pineaux?"

Ajmal nodded, "Yep, that's him."

"Wow…" Talal breathed. Ajmal shifted his shoulder again, trying to lessen the ache on his gashed shoulder. "He sure is…"

"Loud."

"Yeah."

He nodded again, and repositioned, _again_. He tried to control his shaking breaths, but that just made his breathed even more unstable.

"Hey, you alright?" Talal was staring at him, closer than he usually was.

"Um," he paused, his pupils switching between his cinnamon eyes, "Yes."

Talal's eyes didn't move, he knew he was lying. It was obvious, he was even struggling to breathe. "Take your shirt off."

Ajmal smirked, "That's naughty, Talal."

The other boy rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean. It's for your wound. I've seen you shirtless a million times, I don't care for it."

The edges of Ajmal's lips tugged down, damn, that hurt. Maybe even more than his shoulder.

"Whatever," he muttered as he took his shirt off.

Talal got up, kneeling in front of him. He gently poked his knee, urging Ajmal to turn, "Here, lemme see."

Ajmal sighed, positioning his body for Talal to be able to take a look at his shoulder. Talal inspected it, humming lightly in thought. "Well? What do you see?"

He shushed him, poking the fresh wound lightly.

"OUCH! Talal, what the fuck?!" Ajmal pushed him back, clenching his eyes from his stinging shoulder. Talal laughed, "Sorry."

Ajmal shook his head, "Ow, that hurt. Stop laughing."

Talal's shoulder's shook, "Sorry...It's sorta funny."

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes, shaking his head again, "What about you? Your forehead isn't too hot either. That's probably not good for your big ass brain."

"Are you saying my head's big?"

"Maybe. Actually, not maybe, definitely. Fat head."

"Yeah? Well, I don't have fuck boy hair."

Ajmal gaped at him, "I don't have fuck boy hair! And, I'm surprised you have enough hair to cover your head."

"At least my head _works."_

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you're _stupid!_ "

"I'm not―I...How am _I_ stupid?"

Talal let out a short laugh, "How are you _not_? You are taking all Junior classes, you were knee high socks and you destroyed a friendship over some stupid girl!"

Ajmal's breath stopped. He's right. He is really stupid, he realized.

"Sorry."

Talal's breaths were close enough to prick the edge of Ajmal's chin. He hadn't realized how close they were. His eyes were wide with his thick eyebrows pinching together as their pupils bored into each other, his lips pressing together when he licked  
his lips. The brevity of his restive breaths were now sweeping over Ajmal's lips, chin and nose, the virgule movement of his blinking lashes brushing them against his own.

He subconsciously wondered how Talal perceived Ajmal at this moment. Was he as amazing as Talal was to him? No, he couldn't be, that was incapable of happening. Could he see the pimple at the corner of his eyebrow? Or his burning carmine cheeks? He couldn't  
help but wonder these things as he eulogized his candied coffee eyes. He couldn't help but _care_ about what he thought.

"Why did you do that, Ajmal?" His voice breathed against his hot skin, a sad whisper in the cold hollowness of the classroom. "We were so happy…"

He could _feel_ his heart fall into his stirring stomach. His voice was so sad… so depleted from any blissfulness completely. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head, "That's all you ever say, 'I'm sorry', but you don't change anything."

He had to do it. He had to kiss him, he could change _everything_ into _everything_ he ever wanted if he just leaned into him and kissed his sad sanguine lips. He could―no― _should_ change everything.

But

He can't.

Because, he never does what he should. And he was scared. And because he was stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Just like Talal said. He was a stupid weenie, even more of a weenie than Guillermo. He was stupid for wearing knee high socks. He was  
stupid for posting a picture of a fake girlfriend on Instagram. He was stupid for throwing everything him and Talal in the trash for a stupid, stupid girl. He was stupid for not even _trying_ to fix the one most meaningful relationship he's ever  
had. He was a stupid, stupid boy for not changing everything about their relationship by not kissing his pleading, begging lips.

"We're BACK!"

"Oh shit!" They both jumped away from one another, Ajmal's pounding heart feeling as if it was about to rip out of his skin. Pineaux eyed the both of them, but then shrugged, "Talal, this is who I was telling you about."

"How do you know my name―"

"This is Elizabeth!"

Oh, god. Ajmal frowned ducking his head down from the cringely emo girl standing at the door leading to the pod, with a bowl of fried chicken in her arm.

"Hi! I'm Elizabeth!" She giggled out.

Talal stared in disgust at her, "Wha?"

"Well, you see," Pineuax began, "I figured… that since you're having a rough time...and you're indulging in… um, self induce pain… given your forehead… and Elizabeth here has told me about her, um, mental problems, I figured the two of you would be great  
friends!"

Self induced pain?

Wait.

Pineaux thought Talal… cut his FOREHEAD?! Ajmal felt a loud laugh bubble up to his lips, he had to look away and suppress his laughs. He knew Talal was glaring at him, but he didn't care that was WAY TOO FUNNY

"Yeah," he heard Elizabeth say, "I was expecting you to look a little… more different. But, that's okay, I mean, I totally don't judge. Hey, what race are you? You want to hear a joke? I have a _really_ funny black joke, it's _so funny,_ everyone  
I tell it to laughs for YEARS! So it goes, why did god make so many niggers… oh wait, hold on I messed it up. Wait, did I mess it up? Hold on, I'll look it up."

What the?

Ajmal and Talal stared at each other. What is with this girl?

"Ugh the wifi sucks here. But, anyways, have you ever listened to the grateful dead? They're, like, _so good._ You have _no_ idea. They're more for hippy people, though. I mean, I'm not a hippy anymore, because I grew out of that phase, I'm  
more of like an 80's goth girl now. But anyways, what was I saying? Oh, my god. Have you ever listened to twenty one pilots? I know I'm a goth girl, but they're _so_ good. Like, normally with those kinds of bands I'm just like 420 furby it, but  
they're _so_ good they even got a goth girl like me to like them. Oh, do you want some fried chicken? It's _so_ good. I don't know why I ever tried to become a vegetarian, I love fried chicken _so_ much. So, what's your name?"

Oh, god.


End file.
